2014 mercedes-benz e-class Reviews and News

It's no secret that turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines are in vogue, while V-8s have become the enemy of all that is green. We readily accept that boosted engines can provide more power with less fuel consumption, yet there are still times when we appreciate having a V-8 under the hood, such as while piloting the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic.

There is nothing wrong with the pleasant demeanor with which the 195-hp four-cylinder diesel in the E250 BlueTec goes down the road. The 302-hp V-6 in the E350 runs up to highway speeds just fine. Yet dipping into the throttle of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 and feeling the 402-hp, 4.7-liter V-8 immediately deliver a wave of torque through the seven-speed automatic transmission reminds us why we love big engines.

Around town, the V-8's low-end grunt lets the car slip away from a stop in second gear and deftly upshift way before 2500 rpm. Such relaxed power delivery befits a car we refer to as an "executive sedan." Leave the surging turbos to the CLA- and C-Class. With a V-8 on tap and second-gear starts, you glide from one stoplight to another without making the heads of your passengers wobble. Isn't that what luxury cars are all about?

The V-8 wins us over for another reason come Monday morning. Select Sport mode to force the transmission into first gear and blast away from crossovers at intersections with Mustang GT-like aggression. On the highway, the car's plentiful torque makes passing dawdlers easy. Simply lay into the throttle when a gap opens and the car will quickly build 10 mph without even dropping from its tall seventh gear.

Paying for the V-8 engine makes no sense when you see the extra cost and fuel consumption of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 4Matic. No one save F1 racer Lewis Hamilton will really find the E250 and E350 too slothful. But buying a luxury sedan isn't about financial decisions. We want the Mercedes E-Class because it's a wonderful, capable sedan that makes every drive easier. Fitting such a car with a V-8 only makes sense.

After finishing my second run down the quarter-mile drag strip at Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove, Wisconsin, I stroll onto the VHT-covered blacktop and stand by the Christmas tree of starting lights just before a trick Plymouth stages.

When the lights drop and the musclecar takes off, its slicks wrinkling under the torque twisting the rubber, this thought pops into my head: “Crap, I forgot to turn on the massaging seats before my run.”

"“Crap, I forgot to turn on the massaging seats before the run.”"

The Mercedes-Benz of bracket racing

There are plenty of big-block drag cars here, but none of them can touch me in AMS Performance’s 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 4Matic outfitted with the tuner’s Alpha 7 power-adding package. The Alpha 7 package, which includes exhaust down pipes, a cat-back exhaust, and 20-inch Vorsteiner aluminum wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, costs about ten grand before labor.

Seems like a lot for a pretty simple package, no? No, because the Alpha 7 boosts the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG’s power output from 550 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque to 730 hp and 830 lb-ft.

Let’s put some racing numbers on the windows with white shoe polish

AMS says its 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 4Matic Alpha 7 will go from zero to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, and reach 100 mph from a standstill in 6.7 seconds. The drag cars parked next to the AMS-modified Benz in the pits are turning quarter-mile times between 12 and 13 seconds; I’m doing passes in 10.9 seconds, and doing them run after run after run. “This thing would be perfect for bracket racing,” I say to myself as I watch a few more cars make passes.

I head back to the pits from the starting line. The Alpha 7’s hood is open, and a big blue fan is sitting on top of the engine’s air intakes, forcing cool air into the engine bay. People are standing around the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, taking pictures with their phones.

“AMS lowered it a bit to make it stand out, sure,” I think to myself, “but it doesn’t really look that special.” Then I remember the 10.9-second time slip in my pocket, and that everyone had seen a big, four-door sedan do what stripped-out drag cars on slicks couldn’t. Guess I should go and tell them that it has massaging seats, too.

Mercedes-Benz has long been one of the greatest proponents -- and often one of the few proponents -- of diesel engines in U.S. passenger cars. With the recent increase in diesel offerings and renewed consumer interest in diesels in the United States, Mercedes has made a bold move, switching its mainstay E-class diesel from a V-6 to a four-cylinder. The result is eye-popping fuel economy married with surprising drivability.

In place of last year's 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec uses a 2.1-liter four-cylinder. Despite its much smaller displacement, output is down by only 15 hp and 31 lb-ft of torque, with totals of 195 horsepower and 369 pound-feet. Even so, performance, predictably, is down -- the factory 0-60 time is now 7.9 seconds, versus 6.7 seconds for the E350 Bluetec.

On the flip side, fuel economy has taken a big jump. Whereas the six-cylinder diesel recorded EPA numbers of 22/32 mpg, the new four-cylinder rings in with 28 mpg city and 42 mpg highway.

To further enhance the diesel's appeal and broaden its market, Mercedes now makes it available with 4Matic all-wheel drive. (With 4Matic, the EPA ratings are 27/38 mpg.) The company estimates that half of all E250 Bluetecs will be so equipped.

In a week's driving of a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 4Matic, I was able to beat both EPA figures. From Monday through Friday, I averaged 35 mpg in mostly suburban driving but with one foray into Manhattan. On the weekend, I took a trip up into the Adirondacks. On the nearly all-highway drive home, I got an indicated 44 mpg over some 250 miles. One wonders what that figure might have been if I'd been going the speed limit.

Keeping up with the fastest movers on the Northway was no problem for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec. The engine's meaty torque figure means a little extra shove is always readily available. Even around town, the E250 feels surprisingly quick in normal driving. Mercedes' always-excellent 7-speed automatic has low first and second gears that help the E250 step smartly off the line. And the turbo boost is perfectly integrated, making throttle response nicely linear.

So, given its impressively livability, and fuel economy that bests the gasoline E350 by 7 to 8 mpg (city) or 10 to 12 mpg (highway), is the Bluetec worth the extra cost? It might be, if there were an extra cost. In fact, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec is the least expensive E-class model. The rear-wheel-drive E250 Bluetec starts at $52,325, which is $500 less than an E350. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 also undercuts the (six-cylinder) diesel versions of the Audi A6 and BMW 5-series.

We'd say, then, that slipping a four-cylinder diesel into the E-class was not just a bold move but a smart move. Once again, with the 2014 E250 Bluetec, we find Mercedes-Benz doing its part to make diesel passenger cars more popular in America.

This is the latest in our new series of short-take reviews on cars and trucks, in which we concentrate on a powertrain or trim level not previously covered. –Ed.

Our staffers like to take the hottest cars that come through our test fleet for a quick drive around the block, but even the friendly, lightly traveled roads near our Ann Arbor office can be treacherous. This was demonstrated when the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model became the unfortunate victim of one of Michigan’s notorious potholes. An encounter with a deep, jagged, tooth-rattling crater resulted in some nasty tire bubbling, though, thankfully, there was no damage to the rim.

Luckily, we were able to orchestrate a quick tire swap, and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG über-wagon was only briefly out of service. Several staff members found time to get behind the wheel, and the reactions were effusive. We love Mercedes’ 577-hp twin-turbo V-8, especially when it’s in a station wagon. It is reassuring to drive something with a rocket for an engine and have a lot of car around you. In fact, the added length and height enhance the character of the E63 by giving it a stronger, more formidable silhouette.

Our test car was dressed up like a special, hard-core edition with steel gray paint, blacked out 19-inch wheels with red Brembo brake calibers, and tasteful use of chrome to outline the door handles and greenhouse. Inside, the E63 wagon has an equally strong personality. The cabin is luxurious but also a little risqué for a Mercedes. There’s deep red leather on the doors, carbon-fiber trim, and snazzy-looking dials in front of the driver.
“This car is incredibly cool,” copy editor Rusty Blackwell says. “It looks great. It sounds amazing, and it has stupendous passing power.” You can hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds in this rig—not bad for something that has a dog partition in the cargo area.

Wagons are so rare these days that they actually stand out more than other athletic cars. They have become the enthusiast niche products that coupes used to be. Camaros are everywhere, but how often do you see a family hauler with almost as much power as a ZL1?

SYLT, Germany – When Mercedes-Benz replaced its CLK-class with the E-class coupe and cabriolet for the 2010 model year, it was a source of debate between the automaker and the critics. The new coupe and cabriolet were based mostly on the E-class, Mercedes insisted, while automotive journalists noted the similarities between the new two-door and the C-class sedan.

The company's stance was understandable, since shortly after the two-door E-class models came out, Mercedes introduced a proper C-class coupe. Like, for instance, the Honda Accord coupe and sedan, the E-class two-door models shares virtually no sheetmetal with the E-class sedan and wagon. And, like BMW's 3-series and 5-series, there's a good deal of component sharing between the C- and E-classes, anyway. Which platform is it, really, and does it even matter?

Now that Mercedes has upgraded the E- coupe and cabrio's interior for the 2014 model year, part of a mid-cycle refresh that also affected the E-class sedan and wagon, the question matters even less. The interiors are now more befitting a car that retails for between $52,000 and $67,000.

Unfortunately, Mercedes designers weren't able to do for the two-door E-classes what they did for the 2014 four-door models, which is to eliminate the ill-advised "Ponton" rear fender design. That retro cue looks even more out of place on the coupe/cabriolet than it did on the sedan.

The new E550 and E350 two-doors go on-sale this fall and carry on with the 402-horsepower, 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8 and 302-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6, respectively. A year later, in fall of 2014, the E350 two-door will be replaced with the '15 E400 two-door powered by Mercedes' new 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6. Mercedes estimates the U.S. horsepower number will be about 333, but that's not final. Torque is 354 lb-ft. The V-8 and the old and new V-6s are mated to the 7G-Tronic automatic transmission; 4Matic all-wheel-drive remains optional on the V-6 coupe only.

Usually, it's best to start with the small engine and move up to the larger one, but it was sunny for our first day's drive from Hamburg to Sylt. Why tempt fate? First up was a rear-wheel-drive E550 cabriolet (badged E500 for the European market). This most expensive of the E-class two-doors is a popular model in North America, almost a relaxed, Palm Beach/Palm Springs alternative to the S-class, in that it's everything a Mercedes is meant to be, without sporting pretense.

The facelifted E-two door also previews the 2014 S-class's Stop-and-Go feature, which combines Distronic cruise control with self-steering on gradual turns for up to ten seconds, similar to the new Acura RLX's system.

With its standard Aircap, which rises above the front header at 40-plus mph, and the optional Airscarf, which blows hot air on your neck in the space between the seatback and headrest, the E500 cab is planted, secure, and comfortable, reaching 125-plus mph autobahn speeds with the top and windows lowered. The twin-turbo V-8 will push you back in the driver's seat, both literally and proverbially, if you floor the throttle pedal from 80 mph. The electronically assisted power steering, if lacking in feel and feedback, nevertheless exudes secureness at such left-lane autobahn speeds.

The E500 cabrio is more at home on the island of Sylt, which Germany describes as its version of the Hamptons -- a vacation site that provides old money ambience for the nouveau riche. The car's suspension is relatively soft and comfortable, although convertible cowl shake is detectible on severely damaged roads.

There's something special and intangible about the E-class cabrio, however. Even though most modern luxury convertibles have triple-layer soft tops like this one, this car is especially comforting and coddling.

The coupe is more businesslike. The next day's return to Hamburg turned out to be as sunny as the Hamburg-to-Sylt drive, but we chose an E400 coupe so we could test the full North American (future) range. The E-class coupe just looks too much like it should have four doors, like a CLS or even the not-for-U.S. CLS shooting brake wagon.

Driving back through southern Denmark, the coupe's body rolled moderately through a roundabout taken at a high speed. The car wanted to steer with the rear wheels, but the full stability control was on and it checked the tail. Back on the autobahn, where the twin-turbo V-8 is a true kick in the rear, the twin-turbo V-6 is merely adequate-plus. It is, however, plenty of engine for either body style when you consider the target market.

With no AMG variant, the E-class coupe falls short of, say a BMW 3- (soon to be 4-) series or Audi A5 (yes, the C-class coupe should be the competitor, anyway) in enthusiasts' eyes. The better-looking convertible has its own charms as a relaxed Benz boulevardier, one that needs no excuses.

Mercedes may be neck-and-neck with BMW for luxury sales dominance in America, but that's not enough. Daimler profits have fallen short of targets, which may explain why the E-class - the company's Brot-und-butter, high-margin model worldwide - has received such a thorough facelift for 2014.

American V-8 fans should also draw a red "X" through fall 2014, because that's when the 2015 E400 sedan and wagon arrive, bearing a 333-horsepower bi-turbo V-6. That downsized 3.0-liter V-6 model will replace today's 402-hp, 4.6-liter E550, leaving V-8 power to the E63 AMG brutes.

Aside from that way-early drive of the E400, Mercedes slipped us into the four-cylinder 2014 E250 Bluetec diesel - sorry, wagonistas, it's sedan-only for the U.S. - that arrives in August. Displacement drops by roughly 50 percent to 2.1 liters versus the current 3.0-liter diesel six. But the new turbo-diesel is a fuel-sipping smoothie, with 195 horses and 369 lb-ft of torque. At a steady highway pace through the swelling hills of Catalonia, we managed 44 mpg, a remarkable gain over today's E350 Bluetec.
Another economic upside: Mercedes confirmed that the rear-wheel-drive E250 Bluetec will become the most affordable E-class of all, undercutting the current E350 Bluetec's $53,105 base price. The E250 will offer optional 4Matic AWD.
With all the downsizing and diesel-izing going on, it was easy to overlook America's first choice, the E350. Sedan and wagon versions go on sale in May, carrying over their 302-horse, direct-injection gasoline V-6. The 2014 E550 will also arrive in May. The current E400 Hybrid V-6-plus-electric model carries over the departing body style and interior until next year.

Sedan, wagon, coupe or cabriolet, the E-class's reworked body impressed everyone from journalists to janitors at Detroit's auto show in January. With additions where it counts - a sinuous, air-slurping front end - and the tasteful subtraction of the clumsy pontoon rear fender, Mercedes' oft-criticized sedan styling language is suddenly speaking sexy.

For the first time, the E-class offers a choice of front ends, and it's clear which one extroverts will prefer. The Sport version, or Avantgarde in Euro markets, slaps a Flava Flav-sized Mercedes star on a two-louver grille and has a bright, faux-aluminum fascia lip. Sport models add a sharp three-point steering wheel, a mildly firmer suspension, and 18-inch AMG wheels and bodywork, all standard. The square E-Class buyer of yore - referring to both the cars and the owners - would barely recognize the dramatic expression at play.

Luxury versions (E250 and E350 only) get the traditional vertical hood ornament, demure radiator grille, and a four-point steering wheel. For all models, a swept-back hood is capped with bold dual-element headlamps; full-LED lighting is optional. At the rear, a broad, refashioned bumper joins two-tone, LED fiber-optic tail lamps. The refashioned exterior works just as well on the E350 4Matic wagon. American wagon fans must choose the E350's V-6, unless they're crazy enough for the E63 AMG version.

The enriched cabin gets a restyled dashboard and gauges, a handsome analog clock, aluminum-look switches, and striking wood or metal trim. There's a heightened sense of fit-and-finish; corners and joints are executed with a precision nearly befitting an S-class. Several of our test cars featured thick ribbons of ebony wood lapped with fine grain or white perforated-leather seats with blue piping, the latter recalling a Range Rover.

Mercedes also expanded its optional safety systems, under the catchall of "Intelligent Drive." A new stereo camera delivers three-dimensional views 50 meters beyond the car and 500 meters in total. That allows a Volvo-esque pedestrian detection system that can brake autonomously at up to 45 mph and can entirely avoid hitting those on foot at up to 31 mph. Active lane keeping applies the brakes to center the car if you veer toward oncoming traffic, using camera and radar to track approaching cars. Activate Distronic cruise control, and this Benz will steer itself through highway bends, guided by both lane markings and the car ahead - yet it will sense and warn a driver who's tempted to let go of the wheel. Junction Assist boosts brake pressure or stops the car automatically when vehicles or pedestrians cross the path.

Like Nissan's system, the E-class's cameras project a 360-degree, bird's-eye view on its central screen, and Mercedes mimics Ford with an optional hands-free access feature that lets you open the trunk by waving a foot below the bumper.

All models get the electric Direct Steer system that varies both assist and steering ratio. Airmatic suspension is optional for E550s, and rear air springs are standard in the E350 wagon. An automatic stop/start Eco mode is standard across the line.

Because it's not the sportiest-sprung car in its midsize segment, the E-class's comprehensive excellence is often downplayed. As ever, the E-class leans toward comfort, and literally so when driven in anger. But with its impervious feel, the Benz is also tremendously assured and reassuring on any road, in any conditions.

With the carryover V-6 a known quantity, we honed in on the intriguing high-low matchup between the bi-turbo six and the underdog diesel. Mercedes figures a 7.9-second squirt from 0 to 62 mph for the E250 diesel, but the car had no trouble passing dawdlers and its four cylinders were impressively muted.

With 354 pound-feet of torque on tap at just 1600 rpm, next year's twin-turbo six is quick - perhaps the mid 5-second range from 0 to 60 mph -- and makes expensive noises, but the E400 is still less forceful than today's V-8 E550.
That V-6, of course, will advance the mission of Mercedes (and that of all its rivals) to boost fuel economy and trim carbon-dioxide emissions. Shed a quick tear for the V-8. But that all-around V-6 is likely the smarter app for the E-class, whose lavish mid-cycle re-do affirms it as one of the world's best all-around luxury sedans.

As we traverse the serrated sandstone peaks of Montserrat, Spain - carving and rocketing like mad bobsledders -- it seems that nothing can stop the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG.

Strike that. As our menacing convoy of E63 sedans and wagons reaches the bottom of an endorphin-boosting mountain run, we're met by the Spanish Guardia Civil. The cops round us up, collect our passports and licenses, and impound at least $600,000 worth of AMGs. I assume that some sharp-eyed camera or enraged local has offered evidence of serious hijinks on the mountainside. Guilty as charged, official.

Instead, our offense turns out to be not having international driver's licenses, even though they're not legally required to drive in Spain and auto journalists have for decades plied the world's roads without them. It's a classic, small-town Alabama shakedown, only in espanol. It takes Mercedes two hours to secure our release and most of a day to secure their six cars, and the company reports that no charges were filed and no bribes were offered.

American civilians, for their part, will need roughly $100,000 to pry a 2014 E63 AMG from a dealer beginning in August, once options are tallied -- and that's for a standard-issue E63 4Matic with 550 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. That's a jump of 32 horsepower and 15 pound-feet from the departing model, but in what seems a bid for image-conscious AMG buyers, a new S-Model flaunts its greater exclusivity via a small but shiny "S" badge on the rear. The AMG S boosts power from the 5.5-liter bi-turbo V-8 to 577 horses and 590 pound-feet. It replaces the stealthier optional "Performance Package" of previous E63s. Either version saddles more ponies and offers more torque than a Porsche 911 Turbo.

Driven as intended by God and Affalterbach - the handcrafting German home of AMG -- the E63 will be moving too swiftly to read the lettering. However, sharp-eyed readers may have already caught the rest of the name: 4Matic. The rear-wheel-drive E63 is now history in America, as the new AMG sedans and special-order-only wagons will send 67 percent of their power to rear wheels and 33 percent up front.

And what heady power it is. Mercedes quotes a 3.6-second blast from 0 to 62 mph for the S-Model sedan and 3.7 seconds for the "starter" E63. It's the wagon that makes nerdy hearts flutter with visions of humiliating Camaros and Mustangs, though. The E63 AMG S 4Matic, the only wagon for America, turns the 0-to-60 trick in 3.7 seconds. That's a half-second quicker than the basic rear-wheel-drive E63 sedan that's still offered in Europe. Top speed remains 155 mph, or 186 mph for the S brigade. Consciences are salved with a standard engine stop/start system, which might make this the first E63 to top 12 mpg or so in hard use. Or not.

Like the rest of the 2014 E-class lineup, the E63 adopts a strikingly refreshed body and interior and then adds more from its own sporty palette. A twin-blade chrome AMG grille dominates the front along with an "A"-shaped air deflector that's a backdrop for three big cooling inlets. A black-finned rear diffuser and dual sets of twin chrome tailpipes tell followers that these E-classes are no Greenwich grocery schleppers.

Inside, there's an IWC analog clock, tremendous sport seats, a stitched leather-and-Alcantara steering wheel that's squared off at top and bottom, and a stubby console shifter. Unique gauges, brushed stainless steel pedals, and sundry AMG-lettered bits - the headrests, the doorsills with white LEDs - remind you and passengers how much dough you spent. As before, a four-position knob controls settings for the seven-speed, paddle-shifted automatic transmission, whose lack of dual clutches doesn't handicap it in the least. The electronic AMG sport suspension has three firmness settings, maxing out in Sport Plus.

That permanent AWD makes the AMG feel buttoned-down and virtually eliminates wheelspin, but it was the hairy-chested, tail-wagging nature of the rear-wheel-drive E63 that helped make it so much more exciting and rebellious than the tamped-down BMW M5. That's progress, we suppose.

The 4Matic system weighs a reasonable 152 pounds but that still makes the E63 heavier than a plate of German schnitzel: 4,268 pounds for the sedan, 4,449 for the wagon, the latter on par with a Honda Pilot.

All versions get 19-inch, ten-spoke wheels front and rear, but the S adds unique matte titanium alloys and a rear-axle differential lock. On picture-perfect Spanish roads, that diff lock definitely helped as we flung our E63 wagon through curves. The same went for the three-stage stability program: moving to the Sport handling mode, the ESP's Curve Dynamic Assist braked individual wheels to limit understeer and help pivot the back end.

More than ever, the E63 seems the sturdy pillar of the AMG lineup. As opposed to $200,000 V-12 SL65s and SUVs like irradiated Hulks, the E63 sedan balances fantastical performance with some semblance of logic. (The wagon is amazing, but it's harder to argue the logic).

And whether in Barcelona or Oklahoma, the E63's ability to relax and then switch to full attack mode -- with no thought of ditches or other impending disasters -- is its signature quality. Just watch out for the cops, amigo.

New For 2014

The E250 and the E63 AMG S-Model are new additions to the family. All E-class sedans and wagons were treated to fairly extensive restyling for 2014, despite this being only the midpoint in the car's life cycle. The new front end dispenses with the previous four-headlight setup, and the odd sculpting around the wheels on the rear fenders is gone. All E-Class models have more available electronics, highlighted by the addition of a surround-view camera, automated parking assist, more intelligent automated braking functions for collision prevention and mitigation, and autonomous steering for the adaptive cruise control.

Vehicle Summary

The E-Class is the heart and soul of Mercedes-Benz. This model has defined Mercedes-Benz in America since the middle of the last century. The mainstay Mercedes is available in a broad range of body styles and trim levels, with a model lineup that spans coupes, convertibles, sedans, and station wagons (the latter being one of the last of its ilk). The engine offerings cover more bandwidth than ever this year, from the new four-cylinder turbodiesel in the E250 BlueTec (BlueTec denoting diesel at Mercedes-Benz) to the E63 AMG, now available in an even more powerful S-Model. In between are the higher-volume six-cylinder E350 models (coupe, convertible, sedan, and wagon), the turbocharged V-8 E550 cars (coupe, convertible, and sedan), and the E400 hybrid sedan.

Overview

The entry-level E-class is the new E250 BlueTec. Its four-cylinder turbodiesel should get much better fuel economy than the previous, six-cylinder BlueTec. The E250 is available as a sedan only, with either rear-wheel drive or optional 4Matic all-wheel drive. The most popular E-Class is still the E350, whose 3.5-liter V-6 makes 302 hp. Buyers who step up to the E550 get an additional 100 hp from a twin-turbo 4.6-liter V-8. In between the V-6 and the V-8 is the E400, a six-cylinder hybrid. The E250 and the E350 sedan/wagon are offered in either Sport or Luxury spec. Luxury is the standard trim; the Sport brings with it a firmer suspension, different wheels, restyled lower body trim, and a revised front-end treatment (a more rounded nose with the star inset in the grille, versus the Luxury version's more traditional upright chrome grille). The E400 Hybrid and the E550 are Sport only. The wagon, which comes standard with a rear-facing third-row seat (suitable for children only) sells in tiny volume but is beloved in old-money suburbs, particularly on the East Coast.

The E-Class is also available as a four-place coupe or convertible in E350 or E550 variants. Both can actually accommodate adults in the back seat, which is often not the case with two-doors. The coupe features dramatic pillarless design and is available with rear-wheel drive or 4Matic. It also has a standard panoramic glass sunroof. The Cabriolet has a traditional fabric top (which is our preference over retractable hardtops, which hog trunk space). The soft top is heavily insulated for noise and sound and comes in four colors. To cut down on buffeting during top-down driving, the windshield header pops up to deflect air; additionally, a power screen can be raised between the rear headrests.

The E63 AMG stands apart from other E-class models. Whereas other E-class cars are refined and relaxed, the E63 is muscular and menacing. Incredibly, its 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 is more muscular for 2014, with output increasing to 550 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. Not enough? Then you'll want to know about the new S-Model, which bumps those figures to 577 hp and 590 lb-ft; it also increases the all-important top speed from 155 mph to 186 mph (electronically limited). All E63 AMG models switch from rear-wheel drive to a special high-performance version of the Mercedes 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. It sends two-thirds of the power to the rear wheels to maintain that rear-biased handling balance while still maximizing grip. As before, the E63 is available as both a sedan and a wagon -- the latter offering the ultimate in performance and exclusivity.

You'll like:

Broad model range

Luxurious ease of use

Heart-stopping performance (E63 AMG)

You won't like:

High price

Somewhat remote driving experience

Looks that are more imposing than beautiful

Key Competitors

According to the latest testing from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is tough enough to earn a Top Safety Pick+ award, joining the ML-Class as the second Mercedes-Benz to receive the accolade.

Some people might be satisfied that the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model offers 577 hp and a top speed of 186 mph. Not Brabus. The German tuning house has turned its attention to the E63 AMG sedan and wagon, creating the wild Brabus 850 6.0 Biturbo.

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